Insomnia
by tmntfan4eva
Summary: Courtney can't sleep in the crummy loser cabin and goes out for a midnight stroll. Scott can't sleep either and the two find common ground in their troubles. But how will they share in their insomnia? Set after episode 6. P.S I know insomnia isn't not being able to sleep just one time, I just like the title.


**The new episode was AMAZING! They get more adorable with each episode. :3 And Courtney looked SO HAPPY. How can you not ship them when he makes her that happy? *flails* Better yet their team did lose, keeping my previous story canonish and this one as well. :D Something about this one feels a little off, but as a whole I really love it. I hope you do too. Enjoy!**

The night is heavy around the campgrounds. Owls call out in the darkness and the restless creatures that come to life in the pitch black rustle around on the ground and through the surrounding trees. This particular night Courtney is one of these creatures.

She lies with open eyes and stares at the ceiling. She fidgets and makes soft noises to herself. She can't stand it here – in the loser cabin. The accommodations are downright awful and she never wants to have to deal with this crap again. Except…she glances toward the window. At least she knows Scott is here. Away from her, in the other cabin, but here none the less.

She smiles to herself. He will be here waiting for her in the morning. It's almost enough to soothe her restless mind and body. _Almost._ Still, this pillow is hard as a rock and these sheets make her feel suffocated in their coarse hold.

She sighs in aggravation and throws the sheets off of her. She sits up and stares with narrowed eyes into the darkness. Her single roommate sleeps across from her. Yes, single. Heather left earlier at the elimination, much to Courtney's delight.

Heather really was grating on her nerves. It wasn't that she had been doing anything in particular to her, but the way she manipulated them by using Scott did not sit well with her. At all. Still, it is true she was one of the strongest competitors, weakening their team. However, it's also true that after the merge this will be the highest of blessings. Courtney really doesn't need to worry about the queen bee besting her.

She turns and lets her feet graze the ground. The wood is rough and makes her face twist in disdain. It's nothing like the smooth, finished floors in the mansion. But at the same time there is a familiarity to the surface that gradually makes her lips curve up in a faint smile.

She remembers those days in the first season on the island – when everything was perfect, when she looked to a bright future, when she first truly fell in love…when nothing hurt. When she didn't hold a broken heart. She grimaces despite her efforts. _No. Don't think about that. Not now. _"Not ever…" She growls under her breath.

She walks stiffly across the cabin. She grips the handle and pushes slowly. She glances fervently over her shoulder and holds her breath as she acts. The door creaks every inch of the way, but the girl in the room with her does not stir. _Heavy sleeper I guess._ It's one more good thing she supposes. After all the crap in World Tour she really is overdue for a little good luck here and there.

She steps out and the cold air hits her like a whip. A shiver races up her spin and her teeth chatter for an instant. She shakes her body and hopes to rid herself of the worst part of the chill. Despite the distracting cold she makes sure to shut the door softly before heading further out into the crisp night air.

The stars are particularly bright tonight and the moon, although not quite full, is still beautifully bright. They light her way as she moves down the steps and across the grass. It crunches beneath her feet and creates a nice sound effect to accompany the tunes of the night. The joining of crickets and owls ease her greatly.

She means to go toward the beach and watch the waves ebb and flow, she swears. But as she passes by the boys' cabin she hears something. She pauses and tilts her head to the side. She holds her breath so only the natural sounds of the night interfere with her hearing. For a long while there is nothing despite her vigilance, but after five minutes her patience is rewarded.

Just out of her sight she hears a sound like a groan. And it can belong to only one person. A smile spreads across her face and her eyes light up. She moves with renewed vigor in her steps until she can see around the far side of the steps and can see him fully. "Scott." She continues until she is directly in front of him. Her smile spreads farther.

Scott starts. He clenches his fists as if he might attack her, only stopping as he slams his head back against the railing. He hisses and glowers back at the wood. His lips curl into a snarl as he reaches up and rubs his head tenderly. "What the-" He lets the words fall away as he looks around to see Courtney standing before him. "Oh. It's you."

Concern flickers across Courtney's face. She touches her hand to her mouth. "Are you hurt?" Her eyes widen and she sways back and forward unnoticeably as she forces herself to keep her distance. She still doesn't want to be too weak.

Scott grumbles beneath his breath before saying to her, "No," He shakes his head and continues to rub the bump. "No, it's fine." If anyone else it would be the exact opposite of fine. He would already be planning his revenge – most likely in the form of elimination. But he likes her. He doesn't want her to leave. She makes him feel good.

Courtney manages a tiny smile. "Why are you out here anyway?" She crouches down, balancing on her haunches. "Aren't you tired?"

Scott can't stop himself from scoffing. He looks at her in a way somewhere between amusement and irritation. "Of course I am." He huffs. "I didn't get any sleep last night, looking for that stupid idol." He shudders at the memory. "Even if I had wanted to…all those monsters…they…"

Courtney's brows furrow. She stares with pity. She quickly catches herself and changes direction. "Well, you were sleeping all day." She gives him a sharp look. "It's not surprising you can't sleep now."

Scott blinks. Normally he'd snap back. Her tone was just asking for it. Again though, his emotions take another turn with her. He frowns and feels suddenly guilty. "Sorry." He mumbles. _Sorry? Have you lost your mind?_

Courtney starts. She quirks a brow. "…Sorry?" She repeats. "Why are you sorry?"

Scott stares for a long moment. He sees that she is serious. She really doesn't know. "Your tone." He shrugs. "You always sound kind of accusatory, but this time more than usual. You sounded like you were scolding me. Like it was my fault. So I said sorry."

Courtney stares blankly. "I…sound accusing?" Her brows knit together. She drops her gaze and looks hard into her palms. If only there were answers there. "Really?" How could she never have noticed? "But…"

Scott frowns deeply. "No, it's not like that." He shakes his head. "It's not bad. I," He grins to himself and chuckles. "Actually kind of like it. Just…" His smile falls. "It bothered me this time. I don't know…probably the exhaustion."

Courtney is not eased by his words. She lifts her gaze and locks eyes with him – intense onyx meeting worried grey. "I sound mean though." She says with a cold, defeated edge.

Scott sighs. "Courtney…"

"Answer me." She orders. She knows that he can't resist her when she tells him to do something. It was weird to her and still kind of is, but that doesn't mean she won't use it to her advantage.

"Yeah." He grunts. "Happy now?"

"No." She narrows her eyes at him, but she doesn't pull of mad or even annoyed. She only looks disgruntled. "And I don't have a tone." She grumbles as an afterthought. She crosses her arms.

Scott rolls his eyes. "Ok. Then I like your normal, not anything tone." He smirks.

Courtney scowls. "That's not funny."

Scott shrugs. "It's not supposed to be." He scrunches his knees up against his chest and turns as if ending the conversation. He can still see her from the corner of his eye though and he knows that as long as she stands there and maybe even as long as he knows she is unhappy he will not be able to sleep. It will be even worse than before.

Courtney glares long and hard at the side of his face. She hopes that if she keeps it up long enough she might believe in the anger she's trying to convince him she's feeling. All it does it frustrate her when he doesn't say anything through it all. She huffs. "You're an idiot you know."

Scott can't ignore this. He shifts himself so he faces her again. He raises a brow. "How so?" The best way to deal with her is not to defy her or challenge her, but rather let her say what she really means. When he gets close enough to the real reason, that's when he can insist against her.

_For everything._ But that doesn't make it past the thought process. She knows she doesn't really mean it anyway. Instead she says, "For being out here. Why would you go out in this weather to try and sleep?" She makes a face.

Scott simply watches her as she rants. He finds it interesting the way her face creases differently in these moments of true aggravation. Her freckles too stand out more.

"The cabin bunks are awful, sure, but they're better than this!" She casts her arms out. The wind skirts across her exposed skin then and she shivers violently. She quickly tucks her arms back into her chest and hunches over.

Worry crosses Scott's features. "Are you cold?" It makes him remember that night in the rain. "Look, you don't have to be out here just because I am. Or, at least wear something warmer."

Courtney wraps her arms tightly around herself. Her teeth chatter. "I don't have anything warmer. And I'm not out her b-because of **you**." She really should just go back to her cabin. She's going to be exhausted come morning if she doesn't sleep.

Scott smiles. It's funny to hear her voice waver like that. "Then here." He lifts the blanket off his legs and holds it out to her. "I brought it because I figured it'd be cold, but it's not so bad in this niche."

Courtney feels guilt pool in her stomach. She feels stupid for starting anything in the first place. So what if she has a tone. He did say he liked it anyway. And even though she tried to provoke him all he is doing is being nice. This situation would have surely degenerated into a brawl if this were Duncan.

Scott eyes her curiously. "What?" Her edge is gone and she seems sad. It's a lot like earlier today when he showed her that carving. He really hopes he didn't do something to remind her of Duncan again. "Don't you want it?"

"No…" She gently pushes the blanket back toward him. "It's yours." She sighs. "I'll just…go back…" Even as she says it she knows it's not going to happen, not soon. She lingers in her crouched position. She tries not to look it, but she has a feeling her eyes are begging him to give her a reason to stay.

Scott searches her face and quickly finds the pleading hope there. He smiles softly. He'll always love her resistance to her own self – caught between her rigid ways and her desires. "Come on," So he gives her the reason she wants. "Sit with me." He reaches out and takes her hand.

Then for a moment time stops.

A light blush rises in Courtney's cheeks and her expression softens noticeably. The shame and sadness and indecision all fall away. She smiles affectionately and ducks her head slightly. Her heart beats a little faster now.

Scott's eyes widen as he focuses on her suddenly bright ones. He bites his lip and smiles nervously. The surface of his hand tingles slightly with the sensation of contact. Only this time he doesn't let go. After touching hands with her earlier today, he was given a bit more courage.

"Hey," Courtney says with a surprisingly happy ring to it. "Maybe I can help you get to sleep." She tilts her head and watches him with large, eager eyes. "You think?"

Scott nods ever so slightly. "Yeah, sure." He smiles with more confidence. He gently tugs her hand, prompting her forward.

Courtney crawls over to his side and turns herself around. She watches him intently all the while. The only sign of displeasure comes from the chills the wind continues to cause her even from this guarded angle. "So, got any favorite lullabies?"

Scott makes a face. "Sorry?" He half laughs. "What are you talking about?" What guy has some stupid lullaby he remembers for days when he can't sleep? Not him.

Courtney shrugs. "You know," She pulls her knees up close to her chest and hugs them tightly. It really is bitingly cold. "Something from your childhood. Like, you mom sang you to sleep with it or something." She smiles privately. "I do."

Scott perks instantly. "What is it?"

Courtney snickers at his eagerness. "Clementine. Only it was daddy, not mom who sang it."

Scott frowns deeply. "Wait…" His brows knit together. "Isn't that the song about the girl who drowns?" He looks a little more than disturbed by the notion.

Courtney grins. "Yeah. Pretty horrible all and all, but it was the thought that counts. He sang it to me every night until I was twelve." She side glances and her heart drops. "Then he left."

Scott bites his lip. He wants to ask, but he is pretty sure he already knows the answer. It can only be two things, and neither is pretty. Dead or Abandoned. "Well, no, I don't really have something like that." He quickly pushes the topic along. "I had a bunch of siblings, see, and we didn't get extra attention. There were just too many of us."

"Oh." Courtney forgets how different they are sometimes. It's odd because when he first flirted with her she could not forget the jarring differences between them. "Well, you could make up your own tune." She shrugs.

Scott frowns and shakes his head. "Too much work. And I'm already tired."

Courtney shoots him a look, but it is mostly playful. "Well…" She drops her gaze to the ground. "Do you, um…like to cuddle things." She twiddles her fingers.

Scott's cheeks burn bright red. "N-No! I'm a **guy**!" He misses what she was hitting at entirely. He can only think of things like stuffed animals that girls like her would normally when with such a suggestion.

Courtney feels her cheeks turn a shade darker as well when she knows she's going to just come right out and say it. He's so dumb sometimes she swears. But it is pretty adorable anyway. "No," She half whines. "Not that. I mean…what about me?"

Realization dawns on Scott. Now he feels both embarrassed and stupid. "Oh, I…um…" He licks his lips carefully. They haven't gotten much closer than slight contact. The last time they really got as close as they would have to for this was that hug. And that had been an accident.

"Besides," She traces her finger in a circle on the dirt. "It is cold." There's no point denying it anymore. She is about ready to go back inside. But maybe this way she won't have to.

Scott swallows hard. "I, um…guess it could work." Not the cuddling though. If it works he knows it will be because of her presence. Maybe she will have a soothing power over him. She does seem to have power over every other emotion of his.

Courtney smiles shyly. She scoots closer until their arms brush together. Even this slight contact sends a trill through her. She leans over and lays her head on his chest as she wraps her arms around him. Even through his shirt she can feel his heat. Guys are always warmer it seems.

Scott's breathing quickens as he raises trembling hands up and around her. Her large arms and hands encompass her small body easily. Wow, she really is cold. It makes him hold her and little tighter, a little surer. Yet he can't stop himself from being an nervous wreck. He just knows with him and his luck something has to be about to go wrong.

Courtney sighs softly as she feels his breath beat against the top of her head. It has a pulse, just like his heart that she can hear as if it is her own in her ears. "Sorry I'm so cold." Both are steadying and relax her despite how nervous this makes her. It's been years.

Scott breaks out of his daze and looks down at her face. "What? No, it's nothing." He smiles gently. "I'm warm enough for us both." Once he says it he wants to take it back. But his worries are ill placed.

Courtney grins. "Relax." She murmurs. "This will never help you if you can't get used to it and calm down." She raises up off of him, but keeps her arms around him.

Scott tightens his hold as she starts to slip away. It may fluster him, but he'd much rather have her here against him than out of his reach. "Yeah, your right. Sorry." He just can't stop apologizing. He supposes it's better than other things though.

Courtney draws a little further away, much to his chagrin. It makes her giggle as she grabs for the blanket that was once wedged between them on the ground. "Here. We'll use this too." She wraps it around herself first before shifting back against him. "I don't want us to freeze to death."

Scott thinks fleetingly that they could just sneak back into one of the cabins – probably the girl one. No one would notice and the only girl left certainly wouldn't say anything if she did. Courtney has Gwen wrapped around her finger in the worst of ways. Still, it just wouldn't be the same. The moment would be broken.

Courtney frowns lightly at how hard it is to cover them both at this angle. Without a word she then twists them around, sideways to the railing, and gently pushes Scott over onto his back. He looks hopelessly defenseless this way and it makes her grin.

Scott stares up with wide eyes. He doesn't know what to think about this. Are they still just trying to get to sleep? Were they ever really?

Courtney knows better than to act on impulse though. Besides, she can't put her heart on the line like that. She still isn't ready to admit she just might love him, not for a little while longer. Maybe this way it won't hurt half as much when this illusion shatters, just like with Duncan.

Her grin shifts into a soft smile and her gaze is tender as she watches him now. She lowers herself to him and lies on his chest. She finagles with the blanket for a moment until it fits perfectly over them, then slides an arm just above her head and drapes the other over him and hugs him close.

Somehow this position feels different. More right. He feels himself relax beneath her and his hammering heart quiets to a regular beat. He moves an arm around her waist again and a bit mindlessly moves the other outside the blanket.

Courtney watches his movement curiously. His heart is steady now. So whatever he is doing he is much more certain about. And for once she is not nervous either. His heat soothes the chill that once laid over her and makes her feel drowsy. Maybe he won't fall asleep, but she surely will.

Scott touches his fingers to her hair, but does not do more for a minute. He mulls it over long and hard before going on with it. He laces his fingers through her hair and gently runs his fingers through it. He doesn't know about her, but the effects are amazing for him. The rhythm creates a layer of calm that descends on him and makes him suddenly drowsy, not just uselessly tired.

Courtney shudders the first time he does it, but she too soon settles into it. It makes sleep wrap itself around her, her eyes barely half open anymore. "I'm not cold anymore." She whispers. "I'm just…happy." She lets her eyes shut and is soon asleep.

Scott smiles in content. "You have no idea." Knowing she is happy again it is enough to push him over the edge. His eyes drift shut and he falls asleep with his hand in her hair. He never knew a sleep so sweet as this. It's better than anything the mansion could offer. All he needs is her.

**What did you think? Were they in character? I think I've gotten a hang of them and their relationship at this point. I can't wait for the next episode so I can start planning my next in canon story! Any suggestions are welcome as long as you give your opinion on this story as well. :) I've got one idea for sometime in the future, but I can't figure out where to place it so I'll probably not use it for a while. Anyway, please review! :D**


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